GK & Current Affairs Quiz: June 13, 2018

Notes:
India hosted the 10th meeting of Global Alliance to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GAELF) in New Delhi with theme ‘Celebrating progress towards elimination: Voices from the field on overcoming programme challenges’ on June 13, 2018. On this occasion, the Union Health Minister J P Nadda released the Accelerated Plan for Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis (APELF) 2018 for India. GAELF is an alliance of partners from 72 LF endemic national country programmes that assists WHO’s Global Programme to Eliminate LF. Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) or commonly known as Elephantiasis is one of the oldest and most debilitating neglected disease, which is currently endemic in 73 countries of the world, including India. LF disease is caused mainly by Wuchereria Bancrofti and spread by Culex mosquito. This mosquito grows in dirty accumulated water. The disease affects the poorest population in society, particularly those living in areas with poor water, sanitation and hygiene. LF does not kill the affected people, but may cause permanent disfigurement, reduced productivity and social stigma.

Notes:
Shahzahan Bachchu (60), a prominent Bangladeshi writer and publisher, was shot dead by unidentified attackers in his ancestral village Kakaldi in Munshiganj district of central Bangladesh on June 12, 2018. He was an outspoken proponent of secular principles and owner of a publishing house ‘Bishaka Prokashoni’ that specialized in publishing poetry. He was a former district general secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh. Bangladesh has been hit by a spate of attacks against religious minorities, bloggers, foreigners, LGBT activists and other intellectuals since 2013. Several bloggers have also been targeted. In 2015, blogger Niloy Neel, who espoused atheist views, was hacked to death in his home in Dhaka. Avijit’s publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan was also hacked to death on October 31 the same year. Militant groups have claimed responsibility for most of the killings.

Notes:
Gavit Murali Kumar clinched gold in men’s 10,000 metre race at the Gouden Spike meeting in Leiden, The Netherlands on June 9, 2018. The 21-year-old Kumar, hailing from Gujarat, clocked a personal best of 28 minutes 43.34 seconds. It was the best by an Indian in the ongoing season. It was also the second fastest time by an Indian ever in the distance race, just short of long-distance coach Surendra Singh’s national record of 28 minutes 02.89 seconds set at Vigo, Spain in 2008. The Gouden Spike is one of the top meetings in The Netherlands. Its current European Athletics status is Outdoor Meetings with National Permit. Meanwhile, Indian athletes continued their preparations by taking part in various competitions during their training-cum-exposure tour of Europe.

Notes:
Ramchandra Bainda (72), the former BJP MP from Faridabad Lok Sabha constituency, has passed away in New Delhi on June 12, 2018. Born on February 7, 1946 in village Khabra Kalan of district Hisar, Bainda was elected from the Faridabad parliamentary constituency for the 11th, 12th as well as the 13th Lok Sabha between 1996 and 2004.

Notes:
Indian woman boxer Saweety Boora claimed a gold medal in the middleweight category at the Umakhanov Memorial Tournament in Kaspiysk, Russia on June 12, 2018. She beat home favourite Anna Anfinogenova in the final to finish on top in the 75 kilogram category. Saweety was the only Indian among women to make it to the Final. She is also a former world championship silver-medallist. However, in the men’s draw, Brijesh Yadav (81kg) and Virender Kumar (91kg) lost their respective summit clashes to end with silver medals. Earlier, World youth champion Shashi Chopra in 57 kg division, former Commonwealth Games bronze-medallist Pinki Jangra in 51 kgs and Pavitra in 60 kgs had, lost their semifinal bouts to settle for Bronze medals.

Notes:
The International Conference on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) will be held in Kathmandu, Nepal from June 17. The theme of two day conference is “Sustainable Development Goals for Smart Society ”. The conference is organised by the Federation of Computer Association Nepal (CAN). According to organisers around 500 delegates, including ICT users, trainers, professionals, experts, and researchers from Japan, China, Korea, India and Nepal will attend the event. The conference will provide a common platform to participants to exchange their knowledge and discover new insides. The purpose of the conference is to bring government and private sector together for developing a plan of action using sustainable ICT applications. It also seeks to unleash the prospects of SMART Nepal by 2030.

Notes:
The Union government has added 10 new Iconic sites in 3rd phase of its flagship project of Swachh Iconic Places (SIP) under Swachh Bharat Mission. The 3rd phase of SIP was launched at Mana village which is situated close to the Badrinath temple in Uttarakhand. The sites are Raghavendra Swamy Temple (Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh); Hazardwari Palace (Murshidabad, West Bengal); Brahma Sarovar Temple (Kurukshetra, Haryana); Vidur Kuti (Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh); Mana village (Chamoli, Uttarakhand); Nagvasuki Temple (Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh); and Kanvashram (Uttarakhand). Besides Pangong Lake (Leh-Ladakh, J&K), ImaKeithal/market (Imphal, Manipur) and Sabarimala Temple (Kerala). The project envisioned by the Prime Minister is being coordinated by Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation with the support of State governments and local administration.

Notes:
Mulubha Jadeja (88), a right-handed batsman, has passed away in Rajkot, Gujarat on June 12, 2018. He represented Saurashtra and Railways between 1945 and 1964. He played 31 first-class matches, scoring 1,373 runs with an average of 26.92.

Notes:
The 23rd FIFA World Cup 2026 will be hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico. To host the tournament, the two official bids were submitted to FIFA: a joint bid by Canada, Mexico and the United States, and a bid by Morocco. On 13th June 2018, the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow, Canada, Mexico and the United States won the final vote. The United Bid received 134 votes, Morocco received 65 votes while one country voted for neither. The tournament will be the first to feature 48 teams, after FIFA approved expansion from 32 teams.

Notes:
The Ethipothala Falls is a famous waterfall formed by the mountain streams which falls from a height of approximately 70 feet into a lagoon. It is located on the Chandravanka River, a tributary of River Krishna, in Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh. There is a crocodile breeding center in the pond formed by the water fall and is managed by the Forest Department of Andhra Pradesh where one can see the crocodiles from close distance. There are two temples at the foot of the waterfall, dedicated to Ranganadha Swami and Dattatreya Swami. Adjacent to the waterfall, there is a group of caves which are believed to extend till Srisailam. Ethipothala Waterfall is also a great place for mild trekking and camping along with refreshing nature sightseeing.